CMMI for Services Diary

Check Out the CMMI Diary

2010-10-12T08:45:00.007-04:00

You just have to love the CMMI for Services!

But... I have other things to write about. Like "development," or even how the CMMI applies to (*gasp*) life itself! So, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I'm now finally back to blogging. Please check out my CMMI Diary at:

http://www.cmmidiary.com

Have fun!

Bill

The CMMI Diary contains entries related to both the CMMI for Development and the CMMI for Services. As a result, this CMMI for Services Diary will no longer be maintained. I really hope you enjoy my new blog!

Project. Service System. What's the Difference?

2010-05-03T10:20:00.011-04:00

In the CMMI-SVC, are a project and a service system essentially the same thing? (Submitted via e-mail.)

They're certainly related, but they're also very different. Kind of like my brothers-in-law.

A project is executed over time. It has a beginning (and often an end), a plan that guides it, a schedule, a budget, and so forth. Some are even successful.

A service system is a set of resources. Ultimately, you hope to use those resources to deliver value to customers, which I admit makes it sound a bit like a project. However, a service system is typically something you have in place before you start executing a project, and the same service system in fact may be used by multiple projects.

Confused? I'll tell you how I interpret them for what my company does; hopefully that'll help.

I do public training, which means I rent space, promote classes, and deliver these classes to rooms packed full of students who are eager to learn the CMMI. (Okay, even I have to admit that sometimes that last part is wishful thinking.) I teach two different classes in a public setting: the SEI Introduction to CMMI and the SEI Services Supplement for CMMI. I teach each of these publicly once every six weeks or so. This makes for about 8 of each class per year, or 16 classes total.

Here's a quick quiz, then. How many different services do I provide? How many service systems do I use? Finally, how many projects do I have?

Well, it could be claimed there are no absolutely right or wrong answers here. But here's what works for me: 2 services, 1 service system, and 16 projects. (If that's what you also said, then "Wow!" -- because it took me weeks to be able to answer that question comfortably.)

Services. My 2 services are the Introduction to CMMI course and the Services Supplement for CMMI course. Each has its own unique description in what the CMMI-SVC would call my service catalog. (Follow the hyperlinks in the previous two sentences for descriptions of each service in the "catalog.")

Service systems. My 1 service system is public training delivery. Although I do deliver two different courses, the delivery commonalities are such that I've found I don't need two separately defined service systems. Instead, it's one system that can accommodate the small delivery differences between the two courses.

CMMI-SVC tells us that service systems are composed of service system components. For public training delivery, these components include a way for people to enroll (my website), a set of qualified instructors (typically me), a facility for the training events, standardized course materials, and so on. Importantly, many of these components are used by multiple projects.

Projects. I treat each of my 16 training events for the year as a project. Although each one uses the same training delivery service system, each also has its own unique budget, income projection, schedule, risks, etc. For example, my next Introduction to CMMI class is May 18-20. That project's "start date" was April 10, because that's when I began running ads. Its "end date" will most likely be sometime in late May, when I receive confirmation from the SEI that all students from the class have been entered into the SEI's training database. And along the way, there are milestones such as the dates by which I need to order various types of supplies, when I need to get enrollment numbers to the catering people, and when I need to begin pestering people for money.

Does that mean I have a separate project plan for each of my 16 instantiations of these classes? Yes. Each plan is contained in an Excel spreadsheet, with most of the key schedule dates automatically generated once I enter the start date of the actual training event. Anyone expecting a Microsoft project schedule or a 20 page project plan would be sorely disappointed! I document the minimum that I need in order to make sure I do things right.

(Note that I consider the project plan template to be a part of my service system. Once it becomes an actual plan, though, it's part of the project.)

Reasonable people can quibble with the details. Some might insist I really should have two different service systems, one for each class. To which, I would answer, "Whatever…" As in, "whatever" works for you and your business! Part of the beauty of the CMMI is its flexibility. Ultimately, the important thing is that you're using it to improve your efficiency and effectiveness. You're the best judge of how to do that for your business. Not me. Not a Lead Appraiser. And definitely not this guy.

If you need more clarification, browse through the Service System Development (SSD) PA, which describes how a service system may be developed. This should further emphasize that a service system is indeed a different animal than a project.

I hope this helped.

Bill

Is This "Superior Service"?

2010-04-09T08:31:00.018-04:00

So, I get a phone call the other day. A mysterious voice asks "This Introduction to CMMI class you have scheduled for April 13-15 -- is it actually going to happen?"

I'm a bit perplexed, because I'm wondering to myself why I'd intentionally schedule a class only to then cancel it. Seems like "rework," which of course the CMMI itself largely exists to help us avoid.

I reply that yes, of course it's going to happen. Unless I'm in the hospital or something.

Now desperately wanting to get pictures of a half-dead me out of my head, I say "Why do you ask?"

Well, it turns out this individual had enrolled in a very fine, reputable organization's Intro to CMMI class. He made his travel arrangements, and then all of a sudden -- boom! -- one day he got a message saying the class is canceled... due to low enrollment. "Sorry" they said, helpfully.

Ouch.

He then called another organization who had an Intro to CMMI class scheduled in the same timeframe. He asked if they were actually going to hold the class, which was only a week away. The answer was "We're not sure."

Seriously? The class is a week away, and you're "not sure"? Ever consider investing in calendar software extending beyond five days, Organization ABC?

(Warning: I'm about to jump up onto a soapbox here. Or maybe you've sensed I already have.)

Before I go much further, let me come out and say that I honestly don't relish bashing the competition -- because the SEI and its Partners are playing in this sandbox together, and your competitor today could be your teammate tomorrow. So even though I know which organizations he contacted, I'm not about to name them here. (Besides, I learned a long time ago never to pick on people who are bigger than you, or you could get beat up. But enough about the Great Jamie Peterson Incident of 1974...)

Seriously, though... is canceling a class due to low enrollment -- especially after people have put time and money into making travel arrangements -- a good idea? Obviously, some organizations think so. They're concerned about "break-even" points. **I get it.**

But if you happen to have your CMMI for Services book handy, take a good look at the subtitle: "Guidelines for Superior Service." Given that, are these companies practicing what they preach? You decide.

So, what would I expect these organizations to do? Teach the class and lose money? Unquestionably... yes. You've made a commitment to your customers. Now follow through. If you're losing money by doing so, that's really your problem -- not your customers'! Then, assess your future plans and consider not holding any further public training classes -- before people sign up for them. (At least, not until you're better at figuring out how to build an audience.)

I realize this is simply my opinion. And if corporations prefer to chase short-term profits rather than build long-term relationships, then hey go ahead and join all the other companies in America who have a similar focus. Meanwhile, the part of me that has to worry about feeding Buddy and Koko silently says "Hmmm... those students you're abandoning will have to go somewhere..."

I'd be interested in knowing what others think. If you knew you'd be losing money by holding the class, would you cancel it?

Chance Encounters Are Sometimes the Best

2010-03-21T05:18:00.009-04:00

#1 in a series of blog posts from the SEPG NA Conference in Savannah, Georgia.

So I check into the Westin, and I'm in my room looking out the window at what I think is the Savannah River. But wait a second, it ends. The river, that is, actually stops. No, not by flowing into something bigger, which is what I'd expect from any landmark whose last name is "River." Instead, it just sits there looking like a river-shaped lake. A river-lake. Huh? And honestly, it's not all that impressive. I could easily swim across it, if it weren't for the gators. And I just know they're there, because it looks exactly like the kind of place I would live if I were an alligator.

And here's the thing. I've heard there's plenty to do "on the other side." But the other side looks like... um... well... weeds!

Bummed out by the river-lake, but still inspired by the beautiful day outside, I head downstairs in search of an exit. As an experienced traveler, I realize that most hotels are equipped with a way to get out. Except for maybe the one in the Eagles song where "you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." But I'm in Georgia, not California, so there's gotta be a way to leave, if only for a few hours.

Now I lurk the lobby, silently assessing which door will get me to this "river" the fastest. And I'm not even sure why I feel driven to go there and get to the other side. Remember, it's just weeds! Okay, maybe some cattails. But for whatever reason, the Eagles are now joined by the Talking Heads in my brain. "Take me to the river..."

That's when I hear someone say "Hi Bill!" I look over and see Heather Oppenheimer checking in at the front desk. I've met her once before, at last year's SEPG Conference in San Jose. We chat for a minute, and she eventually agrees to accompany me across the river. Cool! Because if I'm going to be walking through a swamp, I'd at least like somebody to chat with. And maybe to help pull the leeches off afterwards. If we survive the crocs.

Stepping outside, the day is indeed glorious. Sun bathers abound, and I realize that my all-black outfit doesn't quite... blend. But there it is in front of me -- the Savannah River! Big and bold, with what appears to be lots of civilization on the other side! Where are the weeds?

Heather politely informs me that what I saw from my window was simply a wetland, not the actual river.

Oh.

So we take a ferry across and it's obvious I'm with the right person. Heather has much more of a plan in mind than me, which I appreciate. Truthfully, I never had much of a plan other than to cross that river. We browse some nifty little shops, I buy a little wire sculpture of an Alien/Predator dude, and we end up eating at a place called Kevin Barry's Irish Pub. And we talked and talked and talked. About the CMMI for Services and Miami Beach, about SEI training and aging parents. The conversation flowed, just like the river. (I guess wetlands flow too, just not so fast.) I discovered much more about a person who had previously just been a very casual acquaintance. We even found out enough about each other and our businesses that it wouldn't be ridiculous to think of working together on something in the future. (At least, that's my perspective; I can't necessarily speak for her!)

When I got back to my room later that evening, I realized this is a key part of what SEPG is all about. Sure, there are plenty of planned activities. There are presenters to hear and booths to visit and even a gala to attend. But the unplanned can sometimes be even better. Who knew?

I look forward to the rest of the week at the Conference. And I have a hunch I'll be crossing that river a few more times, too!

Bill Smith

CEO, Leading Edge Process Consultants

Live Blogging from SEPG NA!

2010-03-19T17:45:00.002-04:00

The SEI's largest conference of the year, SEPG North America, kicks off this Monday, March 22. I'm one of a handful of people asked by the SEI to blog LIVE from the proceedings. (Doubtlessly they used a chimpanzee, a dartboard, and a six-pack of beer in their selection process!) Please check out the Official Conference Blog at:

http://sepgconference.wordpress.com

It should be insightful to have the varying perspectives of three or four different attendees.

I'll at least try to write some interesting and maybe even gently irreverent copy, posted at least once daily. My entries will appear here, in the CMMI for Services Diary, as well as in the official conference blog. (The conference blog will, of course, have the added insight of the other bloggers. Definitely a bonus!)

I also plan to tweet from the Conference several times daily. My tweets regularly appear in the left column of this blog. (Or http://twitter.com/CmmiRox.) If you're truly inspired, you can follow everyone's Conference tweeting by doing a twitter search, like this.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Conference, as I do every year. If you'll be there too, please let me know. I'd love to get together!

Regards,

Bill

Upcoming Presentation: "Creatively Applying CMMI-SVC in a Very Small Consulting Firm"

2009-10-15T11:40:00.007-04:00

The NDIA CMMI 9th Technology Conference and User Group is coming up next month (Nov. 16-19, 2009) in Denver, Colorado. If you can get past the extremely long name, it could be a worthwhile place to go if you want to learn more about the CMMI. And, to hear industry experts. Or me.

Maybe they chose their presenters by using a dart-throwing monkey, because somehow they chose me to give not one, not two, but THREE talks there! One of these will be about my company's process improvement efforts using the CMMI for Services as a model. Because you, the public, demand it --- or perhaps because I'm too lazy to write a real blog entry right now -- here's an abstract of the presentation I'm working on at this very moment:

The CEO of a small consulting company invites you to listen to how practical and creative application of the CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) has measurably improved his organization’s bottom line.

In January 2009, Leading Edge Process Consultants began applying portions of the CMMI for Services to its business. Instead of pursuing a maturity level rating, though, we’ve been obsessed with using the CMMI-SVC for real process improvement. Because we lack the time and money required for a highly formal, comprehensive, internal improvement initiative, we’ve adopted a more flexible (and yes, sometimes “agile”) approach. Our simple but effective strategy has been to (1) decide on an area of our business that most needs improvement, (2) address that area by using relevant portions of the CMMI-SVC as a guide, and (3) repeat as needed. This approach has successfully mitigated the risk of biting off more than our limited resources can chew, and has virtually guaranteed that that our process improvement effort has bottom-line relevance. Although much work remains to be done, we’ve already realized sizable gains.

During this presentation, we’ll discuss some of the keys to our success so far: creative selection of the services most in need of improvement; just-in-time process improvement and as-we-go process documentation; laser-beam focus on our biggest problem areas; emphasis on capability level 1; and success measured by net income rather than maturity level attainment.

Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how practical, creative application of the CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) has been used to generate real business value in a small consulting company.

Measureable Net Income Gains with CMMI-SVC

2009-10-07T05:13:00.013-04:00

My last blog post was April 1 -- no fooling. By my count, it's been over half-a-year since then -- a stunningly long gap, exceeding the slightly more famous missing 18 1/2 minutes on the Watergate tapes by several orders of magnitude. Sure, you thought the blog was dead; from time to time I've even thought the same thing. But now, like a zombie kitten, the blog emerges from the dead! So, the big question that both of my readers out there might have is --- why? Why the gap? Laziness? Lack of discipline? Too much time playing Guitar Hero? Umm... yes. But other than that?

Success.

I say that cautiously, because I don't want to come across as big-headed, and I also don't want to jinx it. But... the CMMI for Services has been working for me -- phenomenally. So much so that with the increase in business, I simply haven't had the time to blog! Sure, I can tell you about the CMMI best practices I've implemented in my company -- and I probably will, in future blog entries. Instead, at least for this zombie/phoenix entry, let's focus on results. Specifically:

My company's net income through September 30 of this year is about seven times what it was all of last year.

Seriously, can you think of any better measure of performance? Did you really expect me to say something like "I'm Maturity Level 2?" (If so, you have some catch-up to do with this blog. At least read my January 6 entry.)

Now, do I honestly attribute all of our income gain to the CMMI? Well, probably not. Some of it may simply be normal business growth; after all, last year was our first full year in business.

On the other hand, we grew as the economy tanked. Something happened, other than simply "momentum." As I resurrect this blog, I'll tell you about it, and I'll try really hard to not wait six more months until my next entry! In fact, next week's entry will give you the 30,000 foot overview of what we've done.

(Wait a second... did I just commit to another blog entry next week!!? Gulp.)

Rolling Stones Announce CMMI for Services Initiative

2009-04-01T00:05:00.000-04:00

LONDON, U.K. April 1, 2009. Rock legends The Rolling Stones will be adopting the new CMMI for Services as a best practices framework for the group's entertainment and music composition efforts, a spokesperson announced today.

The Capability Maturity Model Integration for Services, affectionately nicknamed CMMI-SVC, was released in February 2009 by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). The announcement of a CMMI initiative by the self-described "world's greatest rock and roll band" immediately sent shock waves through the music industry. Although Madonna denounced the news as "a desperate effort to remain relevant" not unlike her own attempts, teen pop sensations The Jonas Brothers simply asked "Rolling who?"

When queried about his unexpected attraction to the CMMI, lead singer Mick Jagger cited his experience with other models, notably ex-wives Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall. In fact, most music critics agree that the Stones' best work was indeed produced in a "multi-model" environment.

In a statement issued earlier today, the band reached out to its potentially befuddled fanbase. "We'd like our fans to realize that this is a legitimate improvement effort, not a simple box-checking exercise. The internet rumors that a misguided application of Process and Product Quality Assurance may result in changing the title of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" to "(I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction" are completely unfounded. However, we must say this: anything produced during the disco era could indeed be subject to re-engineering, including the lyrics "oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh, oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh, gonna miss you."

Keith Richards, Mick's longtime band-mate and collaborator, has already been credited with applying Strategic Service Management principles to extend his "brand" to the highly successful Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Speaking through a translator, it sounded like Keith might also have said "I can see where Risk Management or Incident Resolution and Prevention might have resulted in much less jail time during our more experimental days. Like Mick, I've embraced more than my share of models. This is certainly not the slimmest one, but we're in it for the long haul and I think it's here to stay."

What's next for the band? Mick explained, "Keith and I are both 65, so you might say we've already attained a certain 'maturity level.' We're now looking at process areas like Service Continuity so we can keep reliably selling out stadiums, even when we're out there with our walkers and canes. I'm a big Cleveland fan and Keith loves Detroit, so we'd love to rock a Browns-Lions Super Bowl someday!"

Browns? Lions? Super Bowl? Obviously, these guys plan to be around awhile.

(Happy April 1st from www.CmmiTraining.com!)

CMMI is a registered trademark of Carnegie Mellon University.

What If Simon Cowell Reviewed My New Website?

2009-03-21T08:05:00.028-04:00

[CMMI-SVC Service System Development, SP 3.4 Validate the Service System]

Simon Cowell of American Idol fame offers candid -- often stinging -- critiques of Idol-wanna-be performances. Witness these Cowell-generated gems:

"Not in a billion years... there are only so many words I can drag out of my vocabulary to say how awful that was."
"You have just invented a new form of torture."
"I assume there was no mirror in your dressing room tonight."
"You actually sing like a train going off the rails..."

As I watched American Idol this past week (hey, we all have our guilty pleasures), I couldn't help but wonder...

What if Simon had been a member of my Validation Team -- the team that provided me feedback on CmmiTraining.com as it was being developed?

"Validation" was an integral part of my development process (see CMMI-SVC Service System Development, SP 3.4 Validate the Service System), and I depended heavily on comments like these to make sure I was developing a site that would be compelling and usable by its target audience.

This means I had to develop a knack for "translating" the Validation Team's comments into what they really meant. Of course, they would never actually say what they really meant -- at least, not as directly as Simon might -- because they're my friends and they might not want to criticize my "baby." But, for my site to improve, I knew I had to to strip their feedback down to its bare essence.

So, here are some of my Validation Team's actual quotes, along with my translations into "Simon-speak":

What My Team Said: "Visually it seems awkward..."

What Simon Would Have Said: "There are people in this world who design websites for a living. You're obviously not one of them."

What My Team Said: "I'm not sure how I feel about the layout of the Courses screen."

What Simon Would Have Said: "I hate the layout of the Courses screen."

What My Team Said: "Use bullets and a little more white space. Less words if you can."

What Simon Would Have Said: "You write as though you're being paid by the word ...by a very cheap magazine."

What My Team Said: "May need to evaluate your color/font/size choices."

What Simon Would Have Said: "You're colorblind, aren't you? That would explain a lot."

What My Team Said: I appreciate the concept."

What Simon Would Have Said: "This part is just plain stupid."

What My Team Said: "...radial buttons slightly larger than needed."

What Simon Would Have Said: "It looks as though you're designing a control panel for a nuclear power plant."

What My Team Said: "...looks sloppy"

What Simon Would Have Said: "...looks sloppy"

SPECIAL ADDENDUM: I just received an e-mail on this entry from one of my former students (Dave from California). I present it here because it's funnier than what I just wrote above:

Simon called it a self indulgent load of rubbish and the whole crowd boooo-ed

Paula thought the colors were beautiful and nearly wept in her cough medicine induced high.

Randy thought you rocked it Dawg! And your site is on the way to stardom. You’re the next American (CMMI) Idol!!!!

CmmiTraining.com Goes Live!

2009-03-15T13:03:00.003-04:00

Our new corporate website, CmmiTraining.com, is now ready for the world. Here's the press release that's getting distributed throughout the web tomorrow.

Leading Edge Launches New CMMI Training Website

Leading Edge Process Consultants LLC, an authorized partner of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), has introduced a website focused exclusively on CMMI training.

Vienna, Va. (PRWEB) March 16, 2009 -- Leading Edge Process Consultants LLC launched a new website today at CmmiTraining.com.

"We acquired the domain name last month," said founder and CEO Mr. Bill Smith. "We believe it highlights one of our core competencies in the strongest and most direct way possible. With this new site, we hope to provide people with information on their CMMI training alternatives - whether they get that training from us, or from another SEI Partner. Of course, we hope they choose us."

Leading Edge offers a regular schedule of public CMMI training classes at its training center in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Reston, Virginia. The company also conducts private CMMI training deliveries at corporate locations coast-to-coast. In addition to functioning as corporate CEO, Mr. Smith personally delivers all of the company's training. As an SEI-Authorized CMMI instructor, he has taught the three-day SEI Introduction to CMMI to over 500 students, including onsite deliveries at four of the nation's six largest defense contractors.

Leading Edge has also added new CMMI courses to their company catalog for 2009. "We're really excited about the new CMMI for Services that the SEI released just a few weeks ago," stated Smith. "I'm pumped about delivering the Services class next month." Leading Edge will be offering the SEI Services Supplement for CMMI on both a public and private basis starting in April. Leading Edge also plans to introduce its own one-day CMMI class this fall.

For additional information on CMMI training, contact Bill Smith.

About Leading Edge Process Consultants:

Leading Edge Process Consultants LLC is a small process improvement consulting firm headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. As an official SEI Partner, Leading Edge is authorized to provide services including CMMI training, appraisals, and consulting. Leading Edge has become especially known throughout the industry for its engaging delivery of award-winning CMMI training.

Contact:
Mr. Bill Smith, CEO
Leading Edge Process Consultants LLC
571-490-3229
http://www.CmmiTraining.com

Validation: Making Sure My Website Rocks

2009-02-27T09:00:00.031-05:00

Last year I read a book called "Why Software Sucks" by David S. Platt. As you can tell from the title itself, Mr. Platt can get away with a writing style that some other people -- like me, representing an SEI Partner organization -- simply can't.

Mr. Platt is not too bashful to say things like this: "Listen, Microsoft - how many times have I said it in this book? Your. User. Is. Not. You. All the spin in the world won't make a bad product good or even mediocre."

Whoa!

The premise of the book is that "...the skill of talking with the logical, error-free, stupid chip is completely different from the skill of talking with the irrational, error-prone, intelligent human. But the guy who's good at the former is automatically assumed to be good at the latter. He's usually not, and he almost never realizes that he's not. That's what causes programmer's user interface designs to suck..."

Enter "validation." No, folks, we're not talking about free parking in designated garages. We're talking about "confirmation that the product or service, as provided (or as it will be provided), will fulfill its intended use." [CMMI-SVC glossary]

This activity is so critical in systems development that CMMI-DEV has an entire process area named after it! And indeed, if I were a "development shop," I'd unquestionably give it my undivided attention for projects like pulling together my new corporate website.

The reality, however, is that I I don't make my living building websites. A full-scale CMMI-DEV approach to validation for an organization of my size, with my business objectives, for a potentially "one-off" website, might be excessive.

Instead, let's look at validation from the CMMI-SVC perspective. I am, after all, a service organization. Per my last Diary entry, my new website is simply one component within a larger "service system" that I'm developing. So, take a look at the PA appropriately named Service System Development (SSD). In it, you'll find the following: SP 3.4 Validate the service system to ensure that it is suitable for use in the intended delivery environment and meets stakeholder expectations.

This is exactly what I'm doing right now with my site, as it's being developed. Re-read those words after the comma, people, because they're pretty important. If I wait until the end to do all my validation, it'll be too late. Changes at that point would be cumbersome at best, and maybe even impossible. And in all likelihood I'd end up with a site that looks like this, or even more menacingly, this.

Who's actually doing this "validation"? Well, I'm certainly not doing it myself. Whether you take it literally or simply metaphorically, drinking your own bathwater is usually not a good idea. Instead, I've recruited five people to help -- three of my former CMMI students and two business associates. Together, they're a reasonable stand-in for the website's target audience -- students wanting to take a CMMI course, and managers looking to approve their students' attendance or to bring a class onsite.

Please say hello to:

DCU99 - Probably the only Lead Appraiser for CMMI-DEV and SVC that is an Environmental Engineer
G.O.A.T. - A quality and process improvement professional with a sense of humor
MeasurementLead - Measurement lead for a leading systems integrator
SmilingCG - Quality manager for a small IT consulting firm based in the DC area
QC-Dave - Project manager for a west coast IT consulting firm.

What's the best thing about this dedicated team, other than their inherent talent level, utterly charming personalities, and off-the-chart incredibly good looks? (As you might guess, they could end up reading this...) Well... they're not costing actual cash money! Almost unbelievably, they're working for a motley assortment of leftover promotional gift cards, discounts on upcoming classes, and grocery store coupons. (Note to Validation Team: I've replaced the "cash" we talked about with "coupons"...I hope you don't mind.)

In an upcoming entry I may actually say a bit more about what exactly it is that they're doing. Right now, though, I really must cut this entry short. I need to get back to addressing the issues they're finding.

A Catchy Name for Service System Component 2.2

2009-02-23T03:08:00.030-05:00

Look, I'll be the first to admit that my company name is a bit looooong. Leading Edge Process Consultants LLC doesn't exactly roll off anyone's tongue, including mine. This isn't usually a huge problem for me, although it has forced me to attend at least one industry conference wearing a name badge introducing me as the CEO of Leading Edge Process Consulta. (Mildly irritating, perhaps... but not nearly as disturbing as the photo I referenced in my last blog entry.)

What I can't live with is domain name confusion. What's my company URL? www.leadingedgeprocessconsultants.com? No, I long ago decided that would be ridiculously lengthy. www.leadingedge.com? No, already taken. (But do visit them if you need "24/7 Real Time Monitoring" -- and who among us doesn't? -- or if you want to see a cute redhead looking like she'd just love to chat with you.)

Anyway, my corporate domain name is www.leadingedgeprocess.com. Nice, perhaps, but does it make you want to run into the street and shout it out to the world? (If so, send me a resume ASAP. I could use a good PR person.)

Thus began my search for another domain name. I'm still keeping my corporate domain name, mind you. I just wanted something easier to remember and connect to what it is that I actually do. And the thing I've done lots of in the past several years is CMMI training. It makes sense, then, that I had my eyes on www.CmmiTraining.com for a while. The hurdle involved here was the little detail that somebody else already owned it. Oops, problem there! Well, everybody has their price. After a bit of negotiation --- my initial offer was $750, their counter was $7500 plus my firstborn child --- the domain name finally became mine. (Connor, please make sure to write home!)

Of course, it's just a URL. There's no website there, yet.

(At this point, a reasonable reader might wonder if this post has anything to do with the CMMI for Services. Yes, I think. In my last post I mentioned that my "marketing" system -- once fully developed -- will have 14 "service system components." One of these, Number 2, is "My Websites." This breaks down further into 2.1 www.LeadingEdgeProcess.com, 2.2 www.CmmiTraining.com, and 2.3 which I can't mention until later this year. Okay, wake up!)

So, I now own www.CmmiTraining.com. This weekend I put up a "splash page" on the site, just so people who go there will at least see something. I've even taken a calculated risk by announcing the site's target completion date right there on the page -- March 16, 2009. (Last year, when I focused way too much on doing and not nearly enough on planning, I would not have been so bold. Thank you so much, Project Planning SG 1: Estimates of project planning parameters are established and maintained! See my blog post "An Agile Approach to Project Planning Saves the Month of February.")

Now, back to building service system component 2.2...

Is Hair a Valid "Service System Component"?

2009-02-13T04:10:00.028-05:00

I break down my planned "marketing" service system into its component parts...

I'm staring blankly at a spreadsheet I constructed earlier this week. It's 4 a.m., the dogs aren't even up yet, and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" is playing quietly in the background. (Unplanned, yet appropriate.) I'm desperately urging the caffeine to kick in, and I even half-suspect that I accidentally made myself a pot of decaf -- which would be like drinking alcohol-free beer. (Unless, of course, you're pregnant -- then, I suppose, it makes sense. I've never actually been 100% pregnant before, but I have carried around 30 pounds of excess weight and became a parent shortly afterward. Coincidence?)

(Note to self: 4 a.m. blog entries may suffer lack of focus; consider scheduling next entry for mid-morning.)

Getting back to the spreadsheet: it's a blueprint, of sorts, for what I'd like my marketing "service system" to look like. It's not a plan, mind you -- it says nothing about how any of these things will be developed -- it's really just an annotated list of what should be in place. But it's critical; if I get this list "wrong," then my marketing system will of course suffer. Results? Ineffective marketing = not enough money for me = start eating the same food the dogs eat!

In CMMI-SVC terms, my list identifies the service system components of my marketing system. (If you're following along in your book, see Service System Development (SSD) SG 2. Service system components are selected, designed, implemented, and integrated.)

I'd love to show you the full list in all its glory. I can't do that, though, because then I'd have to kill you -- you just might be a competitor. And then, I'd have to figure out how to do my marketing from jail, which would probably last about an hour-and-a-half until my laptop battery died. Plus, the wireless connection would be crap and the CMMI might very well be contraband.

So instead of the full list, here's a summary. I've identified 14 different components for the system, and most of these are further divided into subcomponents. For example, Component 3 is My Blogs, and 3.1 is the CMMI for Services Diary. (Imagine standing in a shopping mall right now. You're looking at the big directory map of all the stores, and you've just seen the You Are Here arrow!) I don't have a 3.2 component right now, but if this blog ever gets more than two readers I could eventually envision another blog -- and my numbering scheme allows for that.

(If this talk of components and subcomponents reminds you a bit of configuration management, join the club. But please, don't bail on me yet!)

Component 4 out of 14 is Social Networking. Now, social networking isn't something that I've done particularly well... yet. First of all, I'm not a teenager; therefore, it isn't simply encoded in my DNA. Second of all, I'm not all that interested in trolling the internet looking for friends, hook-ups, buddies, or BFFs. I have a business and that business needs to make money, so there obviously must be a business value to my social networking. (I suppose that for some people there actually is a "business value" in looking for "hook-ups" but that's a very different line of work from mine. Here's a good website for more information on that.)

So, here are my social networking "subcomponents":

4.1 LinkedIn
4.2 Twitter
4.3 Facebook

I could of course add more in the future, or remove any of the above if they prove to be ineffective or simply not worth my time. For example, I see definite business potential in LinkedIn and Twitter if used appropriately. (I already have a bit of a Twitter presence, but my LinkedIn profile is so ridiculously out-of-date and amateurish that I'm not even providing you a link to it here!) Facebook? Maybe. I've simply identified it as something to be researched and probably developed.

Before I toss out another example component or two at you, let's take a quick trip to the CMMI for Services draft document itself. (When all else fails, use the book!) The CMMI-SVC defines a service system component to be:

"A resource required for a service system to successfully deliver services..."

and it goes on to say that

"Components may include processes and people..."

The italics are mine, folks. I've added them so I could introduce you to component #1 (a person) and #12 (a process).

1 Me
12 Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn't an "entity" like LinkedIn or Twitter. It's something that you do -- a process. Not to get into the technical details, but I need SEO because I want to make sure that when people do a web search, my company will pop up high on the list. For example -- I just did a Yahoo! search on "cmmi training," and my head grew three sizes when I saw that www.LeadingEdgeProcess.com came up on the very first page of results! Then, I did a similar Google search... and fell asleep after scrolling through god-knows-how-many pages before abandoning all hope for seeing my little company there before the inevitable onset of carpal tunnel syndrome. So, service system component #12, which is actually a "process," needs work. (Unless I can simply convince everybody to just use Yahoo!)

This leads me to component #1 - a.k.a. Me. If the CMMI says a person can be a service system component, and the service system we're talking about is marketing, and I'm the head of a small company... then I'm going to put myself on that list of components.

If I wanted to, I could treat Me like the other components on the list, and decompose myself into 1.1, 1.2, and so on. Although I'd rather not think of myself as "decomposing," let's just for kicks say that 1.1 is "Appearance."

Let's face it folks, personal appearance matters. Luckily for me, though, people don't need their CMMI consultant/instructor to be particularly attractive. (That would stretch creditability, wouldn't it? Or, is this simply wishful thinking on my part?) On the other hand, certain other appearances may be perceived as --- well, disturbing!

Which leads me, finally, to the subject of this blog: "Is Hair a Valid Service System Component?" -- and would I therefore need a component 1.1.1? I need to know, because several years ago I began losing my hair and after a brief "combover" phase I simply started shaving my head close (hoping that people would think that a la Michael Jordan, I was going bald "on purpose").

Well, W. Edwards Deming once said, "In God we trust, all others bring data." So I managed to find some data regarding hair loss and marketability. Specifically, take a peek of these photographs of one particular individual in two different phases:not bald and bald. Which is the more marketable? Everyone might have their own opinion, but what counts is the data!

Let's look at sales figures:

Britney with hair - Over 75 million records sold
Britney without hair - Probably about 14 records sold (exact figure unknown; she wouldn't return my calls*)

To which I can only reply --- Yikes!! Anybody got some Rogaine!!???

.* okay, I admit I didn't really try calling her; I didn't want to disturb her at 4 a.m.

An Agile Approach to "Project Planning" Saves the Month of February

2009-02-05T16:07:00.015-05:00

Bear with me for a minute, people. Let me say a few things about what happened to me last year, so you can better appreciate the pain I'm trying to avoid this year. In 2008:

I created my own website, largely to promote my CMMI classes.
The days I spent working on the site turned into weeks, which somehow morphed into a month, which ultimately became... well... I'm not sure because I didn't actually... uh... track my time.
While adopting this heroic roll-up-your-sleeves, just-dive-in-and-do-it, you-don't-really-need-to-plan-it approach, I didn't sleep much, didn't exercise at all, got fat, and grew the world's ugliest facial hair.
I canceled my first scheduled class (!!!) because I didn't finish my website in time to actually accept any registrations.
When I finally did finish my site, it was crap. Just three weeks before class, only one student had enrolled.
Harkening back to my mid-80's self, I unleashed a flurry of all-nighters. I massively re-worked the site, ignoring the small animals that were now nesting in my facial hair.
I eventually did create a non-crappy site, which exists to this day (http://www.leadingedgeprocess.com). I attracted a respectable (but not profitable) eight students.
As the year progressed, more and more people flocked to my classes! I shaved! I got skinny. I started dating super-models! (Okay, two out of three.... ) However, my site was virtually unmaintainable... and still is, as of today. I had boatloads of neato ideas for the site... but modifying it was a pain in the...

As it stands now, after months of finding more interesting things to do, I plan to attack my website problem. But I don't want to get fat again, and I certainly don't need to resurrect that small animal nesting place.

In my last blog post, I claimed I'd be applying the CMMI to marketing (my "project" of focus). Remembering that a project can be comprised of other projects, let's also treat the website as a project. (Consider it a critical subproject within my larger marketing project.)

Well, here's what I've done over the past few days on my web project:

Decided to adopt an agile approach toward my web development, with a focus on timely delivery of useful, working iterations of the new site. In fact I now technically have a product backlog (that's agile-speak) of features I want in the site. I'll be conducting my first 30-day sprint starting next week, and at the end of that sprint I'll have a workable new site. In doing this, I'm largely addressing PP SP 1.4 Define project lifecycle phases on which to scope the planning effort.

I've constructed a preliminary architecture to support my product backlog, and this architecture divides the site into nearly 40 distinct pages. This of course gives me a solid idea of the size of the product I'll be dealing with (as measured by pages). I've also associated a reuse multiplier with each page, because in some cases I can use portions of material that exists on my current website. So, because I have a handle on size and re-usability, I'm directly addressing PP SP 1.3 Establish and maintain estimates of work product and task attributes.

I could go on here, but just trust me when I say I've addressed other practices such as PP SP 1.2 Establish a top-level work breakdown structure (WBS) to estimate the scope of the project (a no-brainer) and PP SP 1.5 Estimate the project's effort and cost for work products and tasks (easy, once I had size and reuse estimates).

So, how's this working out for me so far? Well, here's how a little agility has saved the day:

My initial estimate for the new website, which will be hosted under a new (temporarily) top-secret domain name, was that it would take me 162 hours to build.
I only have a month, tops, to build this site. After all, the clock is ticking on promoting my April CMMI classes!
Problem: I simply don't have 162 hours of time available in the next month!
Plus, I just received a query from a company that would like a private, three-day Intro to CMMI class this month. That would of course leave me with even less time, if I get (and accept) the gig.

So, what do I do? Well, not to get all agile-technical on you again, but I've simply removed some of the functionality from my upcoming Feb 9-Mar 10 sprint. These features will simply remain in my product backlog, to be addressed in a future sprint, if and when I get around to it. My estimate has now gone down from 162 hours to 119 -- which just may be doable, even with my other commitments.

Is there anything in this "agile" move that runs counter to the CMMI, either in letter or in spirit? Simply put, no.

A little planning, combined with a dose of agility, has helped to make my goal of a workable new website by March 10 much more realistic. Good news for me, because this translates directly into dollars.

What would likely have happened had I simply dove right in and started working on my website without regard to all this planning and estimating?

I think you know the answer. Just revisit the bulleted list near the top of this page. Goodbye super-models, hello small furry animals.

But What the Bleep Is a "Project"?

2009-01-29T05:50:00.015-05:00

Now that I've decided to apply the principles embodied by the CMMI-SVC's Project Planning process area (and maybe a few others), I have an immediate problem.

Specifically... for my organization... as it stands right now... what is a "project"? In particular, what "project" in my organization should be the focus of my initial improvement efforts?

First, let's open the book. The CMMI defines a project as "...a managed set of interrelated resources that delivers one or more products or services to a customer or end user..." and even goes on to say that "...a project can be composed of projects."

By that definition, my entire organization could be considered a "project" -- I'm just not sure how useful that would be to me. (Let's walk before we run!)

I can restrict my scope a bit by looking at two key business activities I already have in mind for the next two or three months:

Teach public CMMI classes (CMMI-DEV, CMMI-SVC) in April. (This is a "given," since the classes are already scheduled.)
Fill those classes, cost-effectively

Selecting which of these to improve upon is a no-brainer. I've taught the CMMI over 30 times, first while working for another company and then on my own. My students seem to enjoy themselves, so there's very little organizational "pain" involved with the training delivery process itself. What I'm still learning to do is to fill public classes cost-effectively. (I've had as many as 19 people in a class, but my promotional costs reduced my profit to... well, let's just say it's been a bit more painful than I'd like.)

I'm therefore defining my initial "project" of interest to be:

Cost-effectively fill my 2009 public classes.

Of course, I'll need solid operational definitions of "cost-effectively" and "fill," which will by necessity be proprietary. (Sorry!) I'll also need a name for this project. Rather than invent a spiffy new moniker, I'll be a bit more mundane and simply call it what it is:

Marketing

So, am I really about to apply the CMMI to marketing? At least, for the next month or two? Ummm... I guess so!!

(Surprised? Join the club... I'll be interested to see where this actually leads. This is like live TV, folks -- anything can happen!)

My Top 5 Process Areas

2009-01-23T03:24:00.008-05:00

The back-of-the-envelope analysis I yakked about in my last diary entry yielded five PAs that I should "Probably" address soon. In this post, I'll count them down in some sort of rough, reverse priority order. (Think American Top 40... without music.)

Remember, these are my top five PAs, not necessarily yours. I determined these by thinking through my company's critical, near-term business priorities. Unless you're my clone, your short list of PAs probably won't be the same as mine. (If you are my clone, please contact me ASAP. I may have a job for you.)

Here, then, are my top PAs:

NUMBER 5. Decision Analysis and Resolution (DAR). This nifty little PA might be a shocker coming in all the way up at #5 on the charts. After all, it's considered an advanced support PA, typically building on the more basic support PAs like the one we'll find at #4. Yet, this is a low-hanging fruit with potentially incredible bang-for-the-buck. Why is it important for me? Well, I make tons of choices as a small business owner, and success often hinges not so much on doing these things well (yes, that's part of it), but on picking the right things to do in the first place (i.e., emphasizing effectiveness over efficiency). There are many areas where I can use help weeding through alternatives. In fact, I just used key elements of this PA a few weeks ago to help select my 2009 training room supplier. Here's a sanitized spreadsheet. (I'll spend tens of thousands of dollars on my public training rooms/catering in 2009; the half-a-day or so that it took to compare four alternatives and make sure I chose the "best" was unquestionably worthwhile.)

NUMBER 4. Measurement and Analysis (MA). I do use measurements now, but adding rigor to my data analysis in key business areas can definitely boost my bottom line. How? Let's continue with the training class example. I know how to fill a public training class -- if I throw a bunch of money at the problem and make Google rich in the process. So, critical for me in 2009 is not just filling my classes, but actually making money while filling my classes. If I don't learn how to do this effectively (and most companies don't), then I wave bye-bye to public training in 2010. There's a wealth of data that can help me with this - traffic to my website, sources of that traffic, costs to generate my visitors, and so on. I'd be a moron if I never looked at this. (Believe me, I have.) But I haven't done a rigorous GQM (Goal-Question-Metric) type of analysis to make sure I'm collecting and analyzing all of the data I need to accomplish my business goals.

NUMBER 3. Service System Development (SSD). My choice of this PA could be a surprise to some folks who already have a basic familiarity with CMMI-SVC, simply because it's considered an addition to the model. In other words, you could comply with the CMMI for Services without implementing this PA. If you've been following this blog, though, you realize that I'm not so concerned with compliance; instead, I'm concerned about using the CMMI-SVC for improved business performance. The "service" system I'll be focusing on won't be my system for providing consulting services or delivering training. Why not those? Honestly, I'm not feeling any pain there. Sure, I guess I could improve -- we all could-- but my customers historically have been happy with my service. (And even if they weren't, would I admit that here?) But there is one area where I can improve massively, and I'm not even sure that this "service" was explicitly considered by the people who crafted the model. I'll talk about this in a future diary entry.

NUMBER 2. Project Monitoring and Control (PMC). Let me be honest with you: the reason I stuck this PA on the list is because its sister PA came in at Number 1. To address the soon-to-be-revealed Number 1 PA without addressing PMC at the same time (or very soon afterwards) would be like Van Halen without David Lee Roth. (Sorry, Hagar fans!) In other words, it would be doable, yet somehow not quite as satisfying (and with a bit too much synthesizer).

Now, the moment of truth... the number one, highest priority Process Area my business needs to address:

NUMBER 1. Project Planning (PP). My gaps here are so glaring I'm not sure where to begin, and I don't even know how much I should share. After all, I could come across looking like the typical "Level 1" company that I am. A capable one, mind you... but one that is strongly hero-driven. A company that's doing just fine, thank you... but will never ever grow without significant pain. I provide services -- good services, I think. But a lack of planning limits my ability to provide more services, to a greater number of customers. I don't consistently estimate how long it will take me to do things [SP 1.3]... I just jump right in and do them! I don't explicitly consider risks [SP 2.2] ... thank goodness I've never gotten gravely ill the day before a public class. There's no formal concept of a lifecycle [SP 1.4] in anything I do! I could go on, but I'm growing weary of this self-flagellation. (If this Diary is going to be successful, though, transparency is critical. Gulp!) In short: I've been a very effective doer, but for my little company to grow I need to become a much more effective planner.

So there you have my Top 5 PAs. It's clear to me what I need to address first. There's problem, though. I do lots and lots of things throughout a typical day. I can't begin to address Project Planning unless I can clearly answer one fundamental question. In fact, as I type these words I'm not sure I can provide a good answer, at least not in the context of specifically what I do day to day.

What is a project?

Hmmm... time to stop typing and start thinking.

(Truth be told, time to start packing for four fun-filled days in Florida. Then, time to think about it next Wednesday.)

How We Selected Our Initial PAs

2009-01-19T06:29:00.028-05:00

So far we've:

decided to adopt the CMMI for Services, and
determined that because of our small size, we really can't focus on more than one or two process areas (PAs) at a time.

The Tie-in to Our Business Goals

We also feel strongly that:

the first set of process areas we tackle must deliver immediate business value... not value in 2010, or even in the second half of 2009. We want bang-for-the-buck over the next several weeks.

One implication of our "immediate return" approach is that to understand our initial PA selection, you need some insight into our two key short-term business activities:

Overhaul website. We'd like to do a major reworking of our website. (For competitive reasons, we can't say much more.)
Fill public classes. We're teaching a series of public CMMI courses starting in April, and we'd like to fill those classes -- cost-effectively. (Although it was great to have 19 students in our last public Introduction to CMMI class, our current profit margins on public classes are too slim to be sustainable.)

The only CMMI-SVC PAs of interest to us right now are the ones that make it easier to accomplish at least one of those two objectives. Period, end of statement. Other PAs? Sure, we may tackle them... eventually. We just can't afford (literally) to be too concerned about them right now.

Our Selection Process

The process we used to select our PAs is hugely dependent on two key pre-requisites. If you're going to try something like this, make sure you:

Understand the CMMI-SVC. At a minimum, take the CMMI-SVC class, either from us or another SEI Partner -- we've heard rumors we're not the only company that teaches it. (Note: the three-day CMMI-DEV class is currently a prerequisite for the one-day CMMI-SVC class, since the former covers basics that the latter assumes you already know.)
Understand your business. Specifically, have a knowledge of organizational "pain points" -- where you believe your business is hurting right now.

Given those prerequisites, here's what we did.

Listed all 24 CMMI-SVC process areas.
Set up four categories - Probably, Maybe, Probably Not, and Definitely Not.
Made a preliminary assignment of each PA to one of the four categories.
Took a deeper look at the Probably's and Maybe's (down to the specific practice level).
Chose the PAs of most immediate value to us.

One simple question was used to categorize each PA (step 3):

If we were to adopt significant portions of this PA in the next few months, would it play a major role in helping us accomplish our two key near-term business objectives?

The assignment went quickly and smoothly, helped in large part by some no-brainer additions to the Probably Not or Definitely Not categories. For example, we really wouldn't want to target any of the "advanced" PAs (like Quantitative Project Management) that build upon "basic" PAs (such as Project Planning or Project Monitoring and Control.) We also decided it wouldn't make business sense to initially target the organizational PAs (Organizational Process Focus, etc.), because they simply wouldn't give us the immediate return we're seeking.

Once we had this first cut at categorization done, we took a closer look at the Probably and Maybe PAs (step 4). We examined each of them down at the specific practice level, and came up with our final list of just a few PAs (step 5). Our next blog entry will reveal the results.

Making Our Business Case for CMMI-SVC

2009-01-16T13:02:00.021-05:00

A reasonable person might wonder just why we're pursuing the CMMI for Services in the first place. Believe me, there are loads of things we could be doing instead. Like marketing, new course development, or laundry. So, let's cut to the chase.

For Us, the Decision Was Mind-Numbingly Easy

Look at the facts, people:

We're a consulting firm. (In fact, a CMMI consulting firm.)
Consulting is a service. (At least, you hope it is.)
The CMMI for Services is designed for organizations that deliver services.
Therefore, the CMMI for Services applies to our company. (Or at least could... if we wanted it to.)

Finally, and most importantly, if:

we truly believe in the value of CMMI (and we do, at least when it's done correctly),
we preach the CMMI to our clients (and we do, because we like to stay in business), and
we consider ourselves CMMI "experts" (I'm not going there; you be the judge)

...wouldn't we leap at the opportunity to adopt it for ourselves?

(And if we didn't, wouldn't you wonder... why?)

What Do We Hope to Gain?

Now you have at least part of the picture. But there's more. Here's the part that people with superficial exposure to the CMMI may have a tough time buying into. Get ready for a shocker:

We're adopting the CMMI for Services to become more efficient and more effective... so we can do things better, cheaper, or faster... for competitive advantage.

Another way of saying this -- and let this sink in -- is that we're doing it for legitimate improvement, not for a "level rating."

Where's the Data?

Some of you might be thinking, "This sounds okay so far, but where are your numbers, Bill? Have you projected the ROI for this? How can you, as a small company, even afford a CMMI initiative?"

Okay, all you numbers geeks just need to chill. Take a deep breath. Say a few "oooommmmmms." (You know, that supposedly-calming-yet-vaguely-unnerving yoga sound.)

First of all, I like numbers just as much as you do. (Maybe even more; my undergrad was Applied Math.) And if I wanted to, I could spew forth SEI data until you begged for mercy. Like, the 2006 SEI study showing a median 4:1 return on investment for CMMI-based improvement initiatives ("Performance Results of CMMI-Based Process Improvement", Gibson and Goldenson). That data, though, would be for the CMMI for Development. CMMI-SVC data will be hard to find for a while because of the little technicality that CMMI-SVC doesn't officially exist yet! (Remember it's a draft, scheduled for March 2009 release.) I guess I could sit on my hands for a few years waiting for the emperical evidence to appear, but that hardly seems appropriate for an organization named "Leading Edge," does it?

Here's another potential surprise for you: We haven't even estimated how much money or time our initiative will cost. We also don't know when it will end, if ever. How can we be so fiscally irresponsible? Welcome to our dirty little secret...

An Agile Approach to CMMI-SVC

Here's the thing: For my company to plan and manage a big, comprehensive, formal, internal process improvement initiative would be ridiculous. We don't have the time. We don't have the money. (Check back with us in a few years regarding the money, although I'm guessing we still won't have the time.)

But we can take one small step at a time.

The beauty of using the CMMI-SVC (or any CMMI model) for legitimate process improvement is that you don’t have to implement the whole thing! You can select the areas of the model that you think will help you the most and simply address those. Then iterate as needed. We wish we could take credit for this approach, but it's been around for a while (although, I think, used by surprisingly few companies).

In Conclusion

In our particular circumstances, our business case is closely tied to our approach. Our agile approach mitigates the risk of biting off more than we can chew, and ensures that our process improvement effort has bottom-line relevance by focusing on our most pressing problems first.

About This Diary

2009-01-13T10:23:00.003-05:00

The CMMI for Services Diary is an online account of one company’s efforts to adopt best practices contained within the CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC), a process improvement model authored by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University. The diary was launched in January 2009, a few months prior to the model’s formal release.

The purpose of the diary is to provide visibility into a process improvement effort – as it’s actually happening. Through the relatively short, quick-and-dirty entries in the diary, visitors should be able to:

Better understand the CMMI for Services in a real-world, non-academic manner
Witness one way of tackling a process improvement initiative
Learn from the organization's successes - and yes, failures - along the way.

The diary’s subject organization is Leading Edge Process Consultants LLC (http://www.leadingedgeprocess.com), a small process improvement consulting firm and SEI Partner based in Vienna, Virginia. Bill Smith, the company’s President and Principal Consultant, writes all diary entries.

Real-time, bite-sized commentary on twitter supplements the entries. (Mr. Smith’s twitter handle is CmmiRox.) The use of twitter multiple times per day enhances communication with visitors and provides a forum for extending commentary beyond the immediate scope of the process improvement effort.

The CMMI for Services Diary, along with the associated twitter feed, may be viewed at (http://cmmiforservicesdiary.blogspot.com). Comments may be posted to the blog, or “tweeted” to CmmiRox.

About the CMMI for Services

2009-01-13T09:01:00.003-05:00

What Is the CMMI for Services?

The CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) is a process improvement framework for service organizations. It was developed by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University, and released in February 2009.

How Is It Different from the CMMI?

The model often simply called the CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) is more properly referred to as the CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV). This model focuses on the development of products (or services), and is often applied to the engineering of software-intensive systems. The focus of CMMI-SVC is service delivery rather than development. (A CMMI for Acquisition, or CMMI-ACQ, also exists.)

What Types of Services Are Covered By the CMMI for Services?

Virtually any. The CMMI for Services defines a service as a “product that is intangible and non-storable.” Like physical products, services are intended for delivery to a customer or end user. Unlike other models that may focus on specific types of services, CMMI-SVC is widely applicable – potential domains include information technology (IT) services, transportation, health care, training, consulting… the list goes on.

How Does the CMMI-SVC Differ From ITIL and Other Service Models?

CMMI models, including the CMMI for Services, are written to be non-prescriptive. Thus, CMMI-SVC focuses on what should be done, rather than how to do things. Several other service-oriented models, including ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), are more prescriptive and focus on specific domains. CMMI-SVC also offers a clearer improvement path and provides for more extensive support at the organizational level than many other service models.

I Work for a Very Small Service Organization. Would CMMI-SVC Be Overkill for Us?

Almost certainly… if you tried to adopt the whole thing at once. The beauty of using the CMMI-SVC (or any CMMI model) for legitimate process improvement is that you don’t have to implement the whole thing! Pick the areas of the model that you believe can help you the most and simply address those. Then iterate as needed. This approach is currently being taken by small companies such as Leading Edge Process Consultants, and has been described in the CMMI Survival Guide (Suzanne Garcia and Richard Turner).

How Can I Learn More?

Visit the SEI's CMMI for Services web page to download the model. Watch for more resources to become available, from the SEI and other vendors.

Also consider taking the official SEI class entitled Services Supplement for CMMI v1.2. The current prerequisite for this class is the three-day SEI Introduction to CMMI v1.2 course (CMMI-DEV); both classes will be needed to serve on most CMMI-SVC appraisal teams, and are critical to employees involved in CMMI-SVC-based improvement initiatives. (Search for vendors using the SEI Partner Directory, or simply attend one of the already scheduled public classes.)